New Beginnings
by Vampyra142001
Summary: After KH2. Sora decides to take Riku and Kairi to a couple of the worlds he's saved, and something's been bothering Riku.
1. Chapter 1

New Beginnings

By Vampyra142001

A/N: This takes place after KH2. Also this is a yaoi, meaning that Sora and Riku are gay (though that is not the main focus of this story), if you have a problem with that hit the back button. You have been warned, so I will not tolerate flames.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own any of the Square-Enix and/or Disney characters or Godzilla, nor do I hold the patent for the Gameboy.

"Earth to Sora," Riku said. He rapped his knuckles on the other boys forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" whined Sora.

"You were spacing again," Riku laughed. "And blushing."

"Was not."

"Were you thinking about Kairi?" prodded Riku.

"No..I mean yes...I mean...Leave me alone," Sora stammered, blushing vividly.

"Aw, what's got poor So-wa all mad?"

"Nothing."

"Then what were you thinking about?"

"Friends...you mostly."

A questioning look slid into the elder boy's face.

"I realized that until I got the Keyblade I only had a few friends, and you and Kairi were my closest friends. You and I were also close rivals, pushing each other to the limit. Like that race we had before all this started."

"I won, I remember. You going somewhere with this?"

(A/N: Those of you that did win should remember that Riku tells Sora that the 'paopu thing' was just a joke.)

"You never gave the paopu fruit to Kairi, you didn't even act like you were going to get one."

"So?" Riku said, turning away.

"Were you waiting for something?" asked Sora, craning forward to see his friend's face.

"Maybe."

"While I was asleep in that pod I had a lot of time to think, and admittedly it took me a while to figure things out."

"What are you going on about?" snapped Riku.

"The day before the race, you tossed me a paopu and said 'C'mon, I know you wanna try it,' then ran off laughing."

"Yeah, I did."

"When you did that I thought you meant for me to share it with Kairi. I got confused, because I didn't want to share one with her."

"Yeah? So you wanted to share one with Selphie?"

"No. And I'm certain you wouldn't share a paopu fruit with either of them, either," Sora said with a nod.

"And why wouldn't I?"

"Because you wanted- want to share one with me," said Sora, blushing again.

Riku looked away.

"Or maybe I over thought it and have completely embarrassed myself." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Prove it."

"Huh?"

"Prove that you're right," Riku said simply.

"How do I do that?"

"Figure it out."

The silver-haired boy walked off, leaving Sora to think.

A while later, Sora slid off the paopu tree and walked home muttering to himself.

"I hope he doesn't take too long. Then again, he could just assume one way or the other and leave it alone," Riku said to himself. He crawled into bed and turned off his lamp.

The next day Sora wasn't at school, and no one had seen him.

"What is he thinking? You were both held back for missing a year, he can't go skipping classes," said Kairi.

"Must you keep going back to that?"Riku demanded.

"Well, I missed you guys. Plus, I could've used your help on homework."

Riku wasn't listening.

"Maybe he's home sick," Tidus suggested.

"No, I already called his mom. She said he left his bookbag and his boat was gone," said Kairi.

"Ya coulda said sometin' earlier," Wakka stated.

"I forgot, okay?"

"Never mind. Let's go find Sora," said Riku.

As usual, Riku's boat made it to the island first, followed by Tidus, Wakka, Kairi, and Selphie's boats. The group split up to search the island.

Riku walked across the bridge, his mind far away, remembering himself stepping into the darkness with blind confidence. A splash jerked him back into the present. Near the ladder leading into the water, sat Sora with a disgusted look on his face and his tongue hanging out.

"Blehk, live fish. Even if you were cooked I wouldn't eat you. I promised Ariel," he told the small fish that was hastily retreating into deeper water.

"I thought you like sushi," teased Riku.

"Oh, hey Riku."

"And who is Ariel?"

"A mermaid I know."

"A mermaid, huh? That explains why you swim differently now," Riku observed.

"I had to learn to swim with a dolphin's tail."

The older boy cocked his eyebrow.

"From the waist down I was dolphin, and from the waist up human. It was awesome!" beamed Sora.

"That's neat and all, but why'd you skip school to come here?"

Kairi walked up behind Riku.

"Good, you found him," she said, then asked "Well Sora?"

"I- I came out here to think."

"Before you walked up he was telling me about a mermaid and his fish-butt," Riku informed her.

"Dolphin's aren't fish," defended Sora.

"Mermaid? I bet she was pretty," Kairi said in a daydreamy voice.

"She was, and she really did have a fish's tail. But I think you'd make a better mermaid, Kairi."

Riku raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked.

"Donald gave me the spell," Sora said with a huge grin.

"I don't know..."

With a clack the Oblivion appeared in Sora's hand. He muttered something and pointed the weapon at Kairi. She fell down, unable to stand.

A brown tail replaced her legs and two large shells covered her naked chest.

"That's not a mermaid's tail," stated Kairi.

"She's right, it looks like a seal's," Riku added.

Sora climbed the ladder high enough to see her.

"Donald said the magic picks the shape," Sora explained. "But at least it worked."

Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Let's see you swim Kairi," urged Riku. He picked her up.

"No! I'll drown!"

"A seal drowning?"

"We'll save you," Sora promised.

Riku walked out onto the paopu tree, being careful not to slip in the trail of water leading up most of its length.

"Whatcha doing?" Tidus asked. Wakka and Selphie stood behind him.

Sora jumped in surprise and lost his grip.

"Wha!" Splash.

"They're trying to drown me," whined Kairi.

"You can breath underwater now," Sora informed her.

"How's dat possible?" asked Wakka.

"Sora turned her into a seal-girl," Riku said.

"Put me down Riku!"

He dropped he into the deeper water.

"You jerk!" she yelled once she bobbed to the surface.

"Move your tail up and down to swim," couched Sora.

She floundered around for a while before figuring out how to swim in a straight line.

"Me next!" Selphie cried.

"I should turn her back anyway. Hey, Kairi, get onto dry sand!"

Riku and Sora had to drag her out of the water. One spell later and she was human again.

"Aw, I wanted a turn," whined Selphie.

"I think we all do," Tidus said.

"Maybe another time, guys. I'm tired," Sora said with a yawn.

"Lazy bum," commented Kairi. He grinned back at her.

As they headed to their boats, Kairi dropped to the back of the group next to Sora.

"The tree's grown since you two left. You can't reach the fruit the way Riku did before. Wakka figured out a new way, though," she said quietly.

"Why would I need a paopu fruit?" he asked, blushing.

"I saw the trail of water. Anyway, you should be able to wrap you arms around the trunk, climb to the top, wrap your legs around it, and grab a paopu. One more thing: fish will eat the fruit if you drop it when you let go."

"Umm..."

"You can thank me after you get one."

She caught up to Selphie and started chatting with her.

When all the boats reached the main island, each of the kids hurried to to do their homework, except one; he hurried home to apologize to his mom.

"She won't be mad," Sora said to himself. "I wonder if she made meatloaf."

"Why doesn't he think? He could've gotten in real trouble," Riku ranted to Kairi over the phone.

"We both know how Sora is. And you don't think much more than he does before throwing yourself into things," scolded Kairi.

"Yeah, yeah."

"I told him how to get a paopu."

"I figured my method wouldn't work anymore."

"It doesn't."

"Two of them were missing. You think he smashed them with the Keyblade?"

"Positive. After you THREW me into the water, I saw a couple chunks of yellow on the bottom."

"I didn't throw you. I just made sure you didn't land in the shallows," Riku informed her.

"Anyway, if we all stay away from our island I'm sure he'll get a paopu by tomorrow night," Kairi said confidently.

"Maybe."

"I can't wait!"

"Oh, really? Well, I gotta go to bed. 'Night."

"Good night Riku."

After they hung up, Kairi called the other three and told them not to go to the island so that Sora could get a paopu fruit without embarrassing himself. She had to threaten Wakka and Tidus against teasing Sora, but in the end they all agreed to stay away.

After school, the next day, Sora ran off, leaving the rest of the gang to have ice cream and wonder.

"Bets anyone?" Tidus asked.

"Nah, Sora's determined," Wakka said.

"It's so romantic," sighed Selphie.

"You're hopeless," Riku said.

"Think he's gotten one yet?" asked Tidus.

"Let's go see if his boat's gone," suggested Selphie.

They headed over to the docks to find Sora's boat tied with the rest.

"Well, maybe he got one and went home," Kairi rationalized.

They found him in the middle of cleaning his room.

"Didn't you go to the island?" asked Kairi.

"No, Mom grounded me. She said I couldn't do anything or go anywhere until my room was spotless. I came home, did my homework, and have been cleaning ever since," explained Sora.

"You'll be in here forever then," Riku teased from his seat on a pile of dirty laundry.

"If you guys help..." prodded Sora.

"No way," Tidus stated.

"Count me out, mon," said Wakka.

"Eew," Selphie said.

"I'll give orders," offered Kairi.

"I'll watch," Riku said.

"Some help you guys are."

"We're always there for you," said Kairi.

"Even if we're gone," added Tidus before following Selphie and Wakka out the window.

"You guys are pathetic," Riku called after them.

"Naw, we're just lazy!" answered Wakka.

"At least you two stayed."

"Not helping, watching," Riku said flatly.

"You're hopeless without us. You take twice as much time to do something when we're not there to push you along. Right Riku?" accused Kairi.

"Right." Riku waved Sora on to continue his work.

Over the next hour Kairi and Riku repeatedly had to move to a new seat till they found a place out of Sora's way. Riku on the window sill and Kairi on the half-cleared off desk.

"Can't you stay on one task for longer the 10 minutes?" Kairi asked.

"I'm still cleaning my room," protested Sora.

"Never mind. I'm going to get something for us all to drink."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Riku asked," So, think of anything more original than the paopu?"

Sora flashed him a grin then went back to work. Kairi returned, carrying a tray with three glasses of iced tea and two ice creams.

"Why do you only have two?" asked Sora.

"Your mother said you could have yours when you finished your room," Kairi answered.

While Sora stuffed clothes he couldn't wear into bags, Riku and Kairi sat watching and eating sea-salt ice cream.

Sora stopped to glower at them for a moment, then said," You guys suck."

Riku choked and fell backwards out the window. The other two rushed over to check on him.

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked.

He was on his knees coughing, ice cream melting in the sand past him.

"Fine." He shot Sora a this-is-your-fault look before reclaiming his seat.

"What?" Sora asked. His confused look faded into a grin as he realized what Riku blaming him for.

"Sora, get back to work," ordered Kairi.

"Okay, okay-- Calm down, Kairi."

He retreated back to his cleaning.

"So what was that about?" Kairi asked Riku sweetly.

"Nothing. Leave it alone," he answered.

"For now."

A beep drew their attention back to Sora, who was nowhere to be seen. Riku crept towards to open closet and looked inside. He motioned Kairi forward, then reached around the frame and snatched something. Riku held a Gameboy over his head.

"Hey, give that back!" Sora yelled.

He flying-tackled Riku, sending them both to the floor. Sora ended up sitting on the other boy's waist, reaching with both hands for the game, while one of Riku's hands was stretched as far away from his grasping fingers as possible and the other hand pushed against his chest.

"Gimme!" yelled Sora.

"Gimme, gimme never gets," Riku taunted, pushing the younger boy back. (A/N: I got the idea from Heartlesscloud. stormed over and grabbed Sora's ear, pulling him to his feet.

"Ow, ow, OW! Le'go!" he whined.

"You have work to do, so quit playing around!" ordered Kairi. She gave his ear a tug before releasing him.

"Okaaay."

He rubbed his ear and went back to cleaning, with Kairi watching him from her perch on the desk. Riku shook the dust out of his hair, then returned to his seat on the sill and played the Gameboy.

The garbage bags were taken out and Sora was carrying an armload of wearable clothes to the laundry room. As he passed he stuck out his elbow and knocked Riku out of the window.

"Hey!" Riku exclaimed, climbing to his feet.

"He's already down the hall," Kairi told him.

When Sora came back in, Riku had resumed his game, but the volume was all the way up, taunting the younger boy.

Half-way through sweeping, Sora 'accidentally' bumped into Riku. This time the elder boy was ready and grabbed the window frame to steady himself, preventing another fall.

"You can't win," said Riku.

"I will in the end," Sora promised.

He finished sweeping and so finished cleaning.

"Time for ice cream!" cried Sora.

"Sorry bucko, dinner time," his mother said from the doorway.

"Wha!" Sora yelled in surprise. Kairi and Riku laughed at him.

"I called your parents-- They said you could stay for dinner and spend the night if you wanted," Sora's mother told the other two.

"Thank you," Kairi and Riku each said.

"What are we having?" asked Sora.

"Meatloaf."

"Yes!"

After dinner the trio swung by Riku and Kairi's houses for their overnight bags.

"Sora, meatloaf shouldn't have pickled squash in it," Riku said flatly.

"Mom throws leftovers into her meatloaf to use them up and make it different," explained Sora.

"It wasn't bad, I just didn't expect to get a bite of ramen noodles," Kairi said.

"Ramen...Oh, the cheese ramen from last night."

"Great," Kairi said weakly.

"Not gonna get sick are you?" teased Riku.

"No."

"I always like Mom's meatloaf."

"But you'd eat just about anything," stated Riku.

"Yeah, I guess." He gave Riku a grin, who just blinked in shock.

"That does it!" Roxas said, stepping out of Sora.

"Don't do that!" yelled Sora in surprise and jumped back.

Roxas pulled Namine out of Kairi by the hand and lead her a ways from the stunned trio.

"Namine, I thought Sora liked Kairi," said Roxas.

"He does, but only as friend and she knows it," Namine said.

"But the dreams--," Roxas started.

"You only had half of his memories and none of his thoughts or emotions."

"Right, but I'm not--"

"What about you and Axel?"

"We were best friends."

"He was right."

"Who?"

"Nobodies do not age, so when Sora released his heart and created you he was still very childish. Meaning you always will be childish. Axel decided a long time ago to never bring it up to you."

"'You make me feel like I have a heart.' He said it a lot."

"You can love with the memory of a heart, it's just harder."

Roxas' eyes dropped to the sand.

"If his world was restored, then Axel returned to the person he was before. You can find him."

"Thanks Namine."

"You might want to apoligise to Sora," added Namine.

They walked back to the other three.

"Um...Sorry," Roxas said to Sora.

"For what?" asked Sora.

"Walking out and being rude."

"No big," Sora said with a grin.

Roxas looked at Riku and Kairi, then walked over to Kairi and whispered something into her ear. She nodded.

The two Nobodies returned to their respective others.

"That is still kind-of creepy," said Sora.

"Hm...Wouldn't know," Riku half-teased.

"It doesn't bother me," said Kairi.

"What did he tell you?" Sora asked.

"Something you know and Riku doesn't."

"And that would be?" asked Riku.

Kairi made a mouth zipping motion.

Sora thought hard, then shrugged.

"You won't tell," Riku accused, then turned his back on Sora.

"But I don't know what she's talking about," whined Sora.

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Well...there is one thing, but Roxas shouldn't know much about that. And I'm certain he wouldn't tell Kairi about it," Sora said with a michevious grin.

Riku cocked an eyebrow. "Should I even ask?"

"Maybe..."

"Are you guys coming or what?" called Kairi from further up the path. They raced after her.

"So you guys would've actually stayed there?" Kairi asked.

"Well, yeah. You were safe and so was the Relm of Light. I'd have been okay to sit on that beach in the dark," said Sora.

"What about you, Riku?"

"I've sat on that beach many times, but with Sora sitting to me, I would've stayed," Riku said.

"We would've missed you though," added Sora.

"He's right."

"Still, you would've left me out again?" Kairi near whined.

"As long as you were safe," confirmed Riku.

"But I was supposed to go with you."

"We didn't plan on getting separated."

"But-"

"Do you hear that?" Riku asked suddenly.

"What?"

In the distance they could hear humming and soft popping.

Kairi looked around for Sora, "That little sneak!" She got off the couch and went into the kitchen.

Sora was singing under his breath as he poured three glasses of soda. There was a large empty bowl on the counter and popcorn cooking in the microwave.

"Are you okay?" asked Riku.

Sora gave them a cheesy grin, but didn't resume his song.

"What were you singing?" Kairi wondered.

"Hakuna Matata," he said over his shoulder.

"What?"

"It means 'no worries'."

"Where'd you learn that?" asked Riku.

"In the Pride Lands. It's one of the worlds I visited. I was a lion cub, Goofy was a turtle, and Donald was a bird, but not a duck."

"A lion **cub**?"

"Yes."

"So you were a **baby** lion?" Kairi asked, picking up Riku's taunt.

"No and tomorrow we're going there."

Nice to be asked," said Kairi.

The microwave alarm went off, causing them all to jump. Sora retrieved the popcorn and dumped it into the bowl, while Kairi grabbed napkins. They brought the stuff into the living room.

"Dids!" said Kairi.

"Dibs!" said Sora quickly.

"I'll wait," resigned Riku.

Kairi went to the bathroom to change clothes, while Sora went to his room and changed. She came out wearing an over-sized purple t-shirt and small black shorts, whereas Sora just threw on a blackand white t-shirt and baggy red shorts.

Riku took his turn in the bathroom and stepped out looking annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"I forgot my tank top at home," sighed Riku. He was wearing his blue pants, but still had on the black sleeveless shirt.

"That zipper's gonna dig into your skin," Kairi warned.

"So?"

"Quit being modest. It's not like we haven't seen you shirtless before."

"It's not-"

"What? That wing tatoo? We've seeen it, remember? You've had it your entire life."

"Not anymore."

"Huh?"

"I don't have a tatoo anymore," stated Riku. He took the shirt off and turned around. Folded tightly against his right shoulder was a black feathered wing.

"Okay...so, when did you get that?"

"Shortly after I left Castle Oblivion my tatoo decided to burst out of my skin."

Kairi and Sora gave him a sympathetic look.

"Uh, Sora? Could you help me unstick it? Having it folded this tightly for so long makes it lock," Riku asked akwardly.

"Sure," said Sora. "So, how do I do this?"

"Slide your fingers between the wing and my shoulder. Grab it just below the joint and pull."

The younger boy lightly placed his hands where he was told.

"It isn't delicate- just do it!" Riku said sharply.

Sora yanked the wing free, lost his balance, and jerked the older boy on top of himself in one motion.

"Get your elbow out of my stomach," gasped Sora.

"I'd love to, but your arm is pinning my wing to the floor."

It took them a minute to untangle themselves without hurting the other.

Sora sat on the floor rubbing his sore stomach, while Riku stood and stretched, fanning each feather to its fullest extent.

"Ah, much better," Riku said.

"That makes two worlds we're going to visit tomorrow," said Sora, thinking aloud.

"Two?"

"The Pride Lands and Radiant Garden."

"Why Radiant Garden?" Kairi asked.

"I've got to talk to a few people there," answered Sora. He was twirling one of Riku dislodged feathers between his fingers.

Riku and Kairi exchanged confused looks.

"Anyway, what movie?" Kairi asked.

"Godzilla!" Sora declared.

While she went to pop the movie in, Riku said, "At least you had an easier time unsticking my wing."

"What do you mean?"

"The King always manages to go flying across the room and DiZ just about dislocates it."

"Well that's-" A pillow in the face interrupted Sora.

Kairi laughed at him and after a moment Riku laughed too.

"Oh yeah?" Sora challenged.

She stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed another pillow off the pile of sleeping bags. Sora jumped over the coffee table swatting her with the pillow. Not to be outdone, Riku joined the freee-for-all.

The after math found white feathers and popcorn strewn about the living room, while the trio sat quietly on the couch, watching Godzilla terrorize the city.

"So if you want to talk to your friends in Hollow Bastion, why are we going with?" asked Kairi.

"Because it has to do with Riku and you don't want to be left behind," stated Sora, before stuffing another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"And the Pride Lands?"

"I'm sure Simba's cub has been born by now- we've got to greet it."

"Oh, how sweet!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that it has nothing to do with you wanting to see us turned into cute little animals?" Riku asked.

Sora gave him a cheesy grin. "It looks like you've got a head start- and **vultures** aren't cute."

"Vulture?"

Sora gave his wing a tug, only to be punched in the arm by Kairi.

"That's not funny!" she snapped.

"I thought it was," commented Riku.

"Boys!"

Sora noticed the movie was rolling credits and shut everything off. The three teenagers rolled out their sleeping bags next to each other and crawled in. They fell asleep hand-in-hand; Riku holding Sora's right and Kairi holding Sora's left.

Next chapter they go to the Pride Lands.

A/N: Please review, I would like to have a couple before I post the next chapter. Also, I'm looking for a Beta Reader, someone to double check my grammer and spelling before I post the chapters of my other and future stories/chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

New Beginnings

By Vampyra142001

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah...I don't own any of Disney's or Square-Enix's characters.

A/N: Many thanks to A Fool With Hot Chocolate for being my Beta and for getting this back to me so quickly.

In the morning, Sora's mother found the three of them curled together. She smiled at them, then sighed as she noticed the rest of the room. Riku lifted his head and blinked at her.

"I'll make a deal with you- help me with breakfast and those two can clean up this mess," she whispered. He nodded and carefully untangled himself from his friends.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"I haven't slept that peacefully in over a year," admitted Riku. He suddenly found himself in her tight embrace.

"I understand your sympathy, but I can't breathe," Riku gasped. She released him, backing up a step, her face was apologetic and on the verge of tears.

"You okay?" asked Riku.

"Yes. It's just...Your mother told me what happened...and you know that you're-"

"Your 'second son', I know." Riku finished for her.

"So, let's start breakfast," she said, suddenly cheerful.

"I don't get how you people can do that," he said, following her into the kitchen.

Sora, Kairi, and Sora's father woke at the first hint of food cooking in the air. While Sora's father had his morning tea, the two younger teenagers had to clean up the living room.

"You two are so gross!" declared Kairi.

"Am not!" whined Sora.

"It was actually pretty good. You should've tried a bite," Riku commented.

"Ew, no way. Eggs, rice, and bacon do not need honey on top of it."

"It doesn't NEED it, but it's better that way," argued Sora.

"Are you gonna hit that asteroid or should I drive?" Riku asked.

"You don't know how to fly the Gummi ship."

"It can't be that hard if you can do it." Sora glared at Riku.

"Knock it off guys. We're here," interrupted Kairi.

"Already?" Sora asked. He poked a few buttons and the computer asked him if he wanted to continue using Auto-pilot or land manually.

"Auto-pilot?" asked Riku.

"Um..." Sora jabbed a button and hurried to the back of the cockpit, while the ship landed itself.

"Flying on Auto-pilot is real hard, Sora."

"Yeah, well, you lied about Santa Claus," muttered Sora. He tossed a palm leaf wrapped package to each of them.

"Santa?"

"What's this?" Kairi asked.

"A gift for Simba and his family," answered Sora. The computer informed them that they could disembark. Sora put the edge of the package in his mouth and left the ship.

"That boy is so weird," Kairi commented. Riku nodded in agreement. They followed Sora out, gifts in hand.

"I wish we had landed at the oasis, so you guys could see yourselves better," said a very happy brown lion cub.

"Sora? You still have your spiky hair as a cat?!" Kairi gaped.

"Look at yourself."

Her fur was the tan color most lionesses had, but the tuft at the end of her tail matched her human hair. The pearl necklace dangled from her neck.

"I'm so cute!," she cried and started to prance around, only to fall on her face.

"Walk much?" teased Riku.

"Not on four feet!" Riku looked himself over. His fur was a dark gray-tan color and there was no trace of a wing on his shoulder. White cloth was still wrapped around his left front leg.

"No fair," Sora whined.

"What?"

"Your long silver hair looks like part of a mane, while you still look like a cub."

"That's life," said Riku smugly.

"So how do I walk like this?" Kairi asked.

"Count to four, moving a paw with each number."

"Run?"

"Front legs, then back legs."

"No, should we run?" Sora turned around to see three hyenas approaching with menacing steps.

"Go away," snapped Sora.

"Oh, it's you! We'd be happy to leave after you give us that meat," Shenzi said.

"And we won't even eat ya," added Banzai.

"Yeh hee hee," Ed laughed.

"Are they stupid or what?" asked Kairi.

"Who you calling stupid?" Banzai snapped, circling her.

"You, obviously," said Sora, stepping up to the much larger hyena.

"Oh, so you three KITTENS think you can just walk nonchalantly through OUR territory?" Shenzi demanded.

"Yeah. Unless you want me to take you down a third time." Way to the Dawn appeared in Riku's mouth and he blinked in surprise. Sora summoned Oblivion to his own mouth.

"We weren't hungry anyway," Shenzi said. The three hyenas started to walk away.

"Man, I hate lions," growled Banzai. Sora zapped him with Thunder, they took off running.

When both Keyblades had disappeared, Sora said," Cats don't have thumbs, Riku."

"Be quiet," said Riku, shoving the other lion lightly.

"Can we go? This meat smells really good right now," whined Kairi.

"Sure. We'll swing by the oasis so you two can see your reflections and I can ask Timon and Pumba where Simba is exactly." He picked up his package in his mouth and led the way.

"You've got to be kidding me!" gasped Kairi, as she stared across a ravine.

"It just takes a running start. I'll take your package so it's easier. Just watch me." Sora awkwardly grabbed both packages and dashed towards the ravine.

"Sora, no!" He cleared the gap in a graceful leap.

"Come on," he said around a mouthful.

"We'll jump together," offered Riku, his voice muffled by the gift.

"Alright," Kairi said. They made it across safely.

At the oasis, Riku and Kairi gawked at their reflections, while Sora searched unsuccessfully for Timon and Pumba.

"They must be at Pride Rock with Simba," reasoned Sora.

"Maybe they heard you were coming and ran away," Riku teased.

"Ha, ha. I guess better get going."

"Where is Pride Rock, exactly?" asked Kairi.

"At the far end of the savanna."

"More boring desert - fun."

As they approached craggy mountain a pale lioness spotted them and disappeared into the King's den.

"Nala is probably getting Simba," Sora said.

"Nala?" wondered Kairi.

"Simba's mate."

"I bet she's nice."

"She is." Shortly, a large male lion trotted over to the group and looked them over, he gave Riku a dark look.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Sora. Where are Donald and Goofy?" he asked.

"They're with their king. This is Riku and Kairi, the friends I was searching for, and we brought you gifts," said a very happy Sora.

"So, these are your friends? My apologies - I thought you bought Outsider cubs with you," Simba said, looking embarrassed. He ducked his head at Riku. Riku seemed confused by the entire thing.

"Outsider cubs?" asked Sora.

"I exiled the few lions that sided with Scar and they joined the small pride that lives just outside our borders."

"Oh," Sora said awkwardly, then decided to change the subject. "Can we see your cub?"

"Of course." Simba called a couple lions over to carry the packages inside.

"We get to see the kitty!" Kairi sang.

"Hardly. She's more trouble than Simba was," a lioness said. Simba ignored her and led the trio to his mate. She was curled around a golden-furred lump.

"Nala, these are Sora's friends: Kairi and Riku, the ones he was looking for," Simba announced. She nodded a greeting.

"This is our daughter, Kiara," said Nala.

"Daughter? Her fur is more like Simba's. Isn't that kind of odd?" Riku asked.

"This coming from a silver-maned lion," taunted Kairi as she dangled her tail in front of the cub.

"My father once said it was the mark of a great leader," Simba said.

"Wow," said Sora. "Hey, that proves that you were always meant to be king." Simba looked embarrassed again.

"Can I show them the great view from the top of Pride Rock?" Sora asked.

"Sure."

"You guys go ahead, I wanna play with the kitty," beamed Kairi.

"Um, okay," Sora said, leading the other two males out. Kiara choose that moment to bite an offered tail, making Kairi yowl.

"You play nice," Riku called over his shoulder.

A/N: I was planning on making a pit stop in Halloween Town to prove Santa's existence, but I'm having issues on what monster to base Riku's costume. Werewolf, zombie, or what? I need your input, please, without it I can't type chapter 3.

Oh, one more thing, the lineart that goes with this chapter will have a link in my profile.


	3. Chapter 3

New Beginnings

By Vampyra142001

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own any Disney or Sqare-Enix characters.

A/N: Alright, chapter three done. My thanks to everyone that voted. It came to a tie between werewolf and vampire, so I did a rough sketch of both and picked the one that looked better. Enjoy.

"Ew, ew, EW!" whined Kairi, shivering violently.

"Will you tell us what's wrong already?" questioned Riku.

"She gave me a BATH while you two were sight-seeing."

"So?"

"Riku, if you forgot: Cats bathe with their tongues," Sora said from the captain's seat.

Riku burst out laughing.

"Ewie!"

"Well, I guess we should head to Radiant Garden," said Sora.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Kairi, pointing at the world they were passing.

"Halloween Town."

"Halloween Town has Christmas lights on it?"

"When Jack puts them there it does, but Christmas Town always has it's lights."

"So Santa lives there?"

"Of course. Wanna meet him?"

Kairi gave him a huge grin.

"Well, this should be interesting," Riku said.

Sora punched several buttons to reset their course.

"Is there anything we should know about this world?" asked Riku.

"Um... there's lots of creepy stuff on the Halloween side and it's all real, but most of it's not dangerous. I wonder what monsters you'll turn into."

"Monsters... really?" gaped Kairi.

"Donald turns into a mummy, Goofy looks kinda like Frankenstein's monster, and I turn into a vampire."

"Ever bite anyone?"

"No, but I didn't see any tastey looking people." Sora glanced at Riku.

Riku ignored him and leaned over the control panel, setting up the automatic landing.

"Hey, that's my job!" Sora whined.

"Yeah? And? I want to get this over with and find out what you're up to," stated Riku.

"I'm 'up to' several things."

The older boy frowned at the implied double meaning.

"Graveyard? Why does it say we're landing in a graveyard?" Kairi asked.

"It's open ground out of the way," said Sora. "And don't touch the headstones, it's bad luck and they'll fall on you."

"You're not SCARED are you, Kairi?" Riku questioned.

"Of couse not," she said hautily, exiting the ship.

The two boys followed.

"Nice tail Riku," teased Sora.

"You're just making excuses to look," Riku commented.

Sora shrugged.

Riku had a silver tail protruding over the edge of tattered black jeans, along with silver fur covering his arms from elbow to clawed fingertips. He now wore a tight leather shirt and his shoes had been replaced with black boots. A metal collar with a dangling chain rested around his neck. Atop his head sat a pair of canine ears. A pumpkin mask covered his left eye.

Kairi's skin was a tainted green color. Her hair shone blood-red below her crooked hat. At her throat was a pumpkin choker and her pearl necklace. Her outfit now consisted of a skin-tight black dress that flared at the wrists and hips, with a grey external corset, purple and green striped stockings, and pointed black shoes.

Sora stared at Riku with a strange look on his face.

"What?" demanded Riku.

The younger boy reached up and started petting Riku's new ears.

"Fuzzy-soft," he said, grinning widely.

"Knock it off," ordered Riku, batting the other boy's hands away. "That feels really weird."

"Did you know you have upper AND lower fangs?" Kairi asked Riku.

"I already bit my tongue. And did you know your socks are really ugly?" teased Riku.

"I think that's the point."

"C'mon, you guys gotta meet Jack Skellington," insisted Sora.

"What about Santa?"

"Jack's place is closer and I figured you'd like to show off your costumes to the King of Halloween."

Sora pulled them into town, Kairi by her hand and Riku by his chain.

"Sora! Wonderful to see you again. And who are your friends?" Jack asked.

"Hey. This is Riku and Kairi. I wanted you to meet them before we take off again," said Sora.

"You'll return for Halloween, of course?"

"It's a promise, Jack. We can't let all your hard work go to waste," Sora said, gesturing to the busy monsters.

"Wonderful! Now, you'll be visiting Sandy Claws before you go? I could accompany -"

"Jack! Jack! Boogie's boys dumped slime into the the machinery!" cried the Mayor. "I can't handle this by myself."

"Tell Sandy I said hello," Jack sighed.

"Sure. We'll see you soon." Sora started back the way they came.

"Good bye Mr. Skellington," said Kairi.

"Sandy Claws? Doesn't he mean Santa Claus?" Riku asked once they were out of ear shot.

"He always says it that way," said a female voice behind them.

Sora glanced back, not surprised at all, while Kairi and Riku whirled around to see a woman made of cloth standing a short distance away.

"Hi Sally. Bored with preparations?" asked Sora.

"Yes, I overheard your conversation and thought I'd join you - if that's okay."

"Guys, this is Sally, Jack's girlfriend."

"Wife, now."

"Congratulations!" Kairi said.

Riki and Sora nodded in agreement.

"Boys."

Sora shoved Riku, then took off running into the trees. Riku started to follow, only to find the boy had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" wondered Riku.

"I'm sure he's already in Christmas Town. He's as bad as Jack when it comes to that place," Sally said.

"But how do we get there? All I see is weird trees."

Sally opened the hidden door and jumped in.

"You get to Santa's house by jumping into a tree? Isn't that nice?"

"C'mon Riku. I want to see the real Santa," Kairi said, grabbing his hand and pulling him with.

As soon as Riku sat up a snowball smacked against his chest.

"Sora!" growled the silver-haired wolfboy.

A snowball fight broke out between the two, while Sally and Kairi hid behind the tree.

The duo were too engrossed in their war to notice Kairi sneak around with a mound of snow in one hand. She grabbed the back of Sora's shorts and deposited the frozen surprise into his boxers.

"Aah!" Sora yelled. He danced around for a second, tripped over his own feet, and tumbled down the hill, Kairi and Riku running after him.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd fall," said Kairi, worried.

"I'm fine," he assured her while shaking large amounts of snow out of his clothing. "That actually would've been fun if I didn't have snow in my pants."

Riku was sitting on the ground laughing.

"Wow," gasped Kairi, staring at the workshop infront of them.

"Race you," Sora challenged.

"Okay," agreed Riku.

"Wait. Where's Sally?" wondered Sora.

"Here. Are you sure you're alright?" Sally asked as she walked down to the group.

"Yeah." He glanced at Riku, then dashed towards the front door, the older boy right beside him.

"Sorry about the front door," Sora apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

Said door lay on the floor.

"Well, see that it doesn't happen again," said Santa Claus.

Riku frowned at the fat man.

"If you're the real deal, then tell me why I stopped believing in you," he said crossing his arms.

"Riku! That's rude," scolded Kairi.

"Your anger is understandable, but even I couldn't have brought you that gift, for it was not mine to give," Santa said calmly. "I would've have brought you your father, but it is beyond my power."

"We shouldn't have come here," snapped Riku.

Santa placed his hand on Riku's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off roughly.

"He's still alive."

"What?"

"I have a feeling that you'll be seeing him soon."

"Right, like that'll happen," Riku scoffed and walked out.

"Please go with Riku, said Sora to Kairi.

"But I wanna -- ," she started.

"You have until Christmas to talk to Santa, but I think Riku needs our support right now. I'll be out in a minute."

"Good bye Mr. Claus. We'll be back by Halloween." She jogged after Riku.

"Keywielder or not, I have to ask ..."

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this, I had to wait for the votes to stop and write the chapter. I promise my next post will be much sooner. The fanart that goes with this chapter will be linked to my profile ASAP. Radiant Garden next chappie, and maybe you'll get to meet Axel's other.


	4. Chapter 4

New Beginnings

By Vampyra142001

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Square-Enix or Disney characters.

A/N: Big thankies to all my reviewers, you are always appreciated. There has been Heartless fighting on the worlds they've visited, but I thought if I wrote that stuff in it would make the story lag. A couple people were wondering about Axel's other, so I thought I'd explain before you get to the story. He is not an original character, nor is he Reno. Ansem's secret report says that the difference in appearance between someone and their Nobody is slight (hair style/color). Take Axel, dye his hair black, erase the markings under his eyes, and see who you end up with. Sorry, for rambling and enjoy.

"We'd better find Cloud or Aerith first. They should know where he is," Sora said to himself.

"He?" asked Kairi.

"A not-so-nice guy that's going to give me answers if I have to beat them out of him."

Kairi and Riku wore identical confused looks.

Sora set-up the landing and lead them out.

As they walked down to the Marketplace they noticed Leon talking to a strange man. He had long black hair and bright green eyes, a strand of his hair stuck out infront of his face.

"That guy looks familiar," Kairi said, frowning.

"I agree," added Riku.

"Yeah, but I know I've never seen him around here," Sora mused.

The trio approached Leon and the other guy. Leon waved a greeting.

"Hey, you guys look familiar. Especially you," the man said, pointing at Sora.

"You too," said Sora.

"I'm new around here," he said extending his hand. "Name's Zack. Z-A-C-K. Got it memorized?"

Sora blinked in shock.

"What's wrong?" asked Leon.

"Nothing. Be back in a minute." He grabbed his friends and drug them out of earshot.

"What?" Riku demanded.

"It's HIM," hissed Sora.

"The guy you were looking for?"

"No. HIS OTHER."

"I think he's right," Riku said, peering past Kairi.

"But why isn't Roxas reacting?"

Namine stepped up to Sora, squinting at his face. He leaned back, uncomfortable with the distance between them.

"He's asleep," said Namine.

"What?! So how do I wake him up?" Sora asked.

"What wakes you up?" She dissappeared into Kairi.

Riku punched him on the head.

"Not that again!" whined Sora.

"It worked when you were younger," Riku said with a shrug.

"It better have worked this time," warned Sora, rubbing his head.

Kairi walked back to Leon.

"Don't be surprised if there is suddenly more people here," she told him.

"Not much surprises me anymore," said Leon, dryly.

Sora and Riku were almost to the group when a third figure flung itself at Zack.

"Axel!" the boy cried. He passed right through the black-haired man, tackling a flame-haired man and hugging him.

"Nice to see you too, Roxas, but you're crushing me," he gasped.

Zack whirled around to see his look-alike being glomped.

"Um..." started Zack.

"Name's Axel, I'm your Nobody. Got it memorized?" Axel stated.

"Nobody?"

"When your world got attacked the Heartless took your heart, creating another Heartless and me. Don't ask me how it works cuz I don't care. Anyway, your Heartless was killed and I sacrificed myself for a friend." He looked at the boy still wrapped around his chest. "Your heart and I became you again."

"Then why are you on the ground instead of in here?" asked Zack, indicating himself.

"Maybe cuz I didn't die right I'm still alive in you, like Roxas here." He shrugged.

"I wonder if Aerith has anything for the headache you guys have given me," Leon said, massaging his temples with one hand.

"Where is Aerith? I really need to talk to either her or Cloud," asked Sora.

"Cloud?! He's HERE?" gasped Zack.

"You're not helping my headache," Leon said, dryly. "He's probabaly in the Borough killing Heartless." He waved a hand in the correct direction.

"As nice as it is to meet you all, I need to talk to an old friend," said Zack, who then walked off.

"If Cloud's going to be busy, where's Aerith?" Sora asked.

"Probably with Tifa, in Ansem's study, trying to get more information from the computer. Why are you looking for them?"

"I'm looking for answers and they know the guy that has them."

"What's he going on about?" Axel asked Roxas.

Roxas whispered something in his ear.

"Oh, really? I suppose I should help, but you'll have to go with."

Sora frowned at Axel.

"What's that look for? I've proved I'm trustworthy."

"It's not that, exactly. You know something more."

"True. Which is why I'm not going and Roxas is. I'd rather not deal with my other's problems."

"What -- "

"Ask Aerith sometime. Oh, one more thing: If I were you, Riku, I'd stay away from Cloud and Tifa for a while."

"Why?" demanded Riku.

"Fine, get beaten by a Ms. Kick-boxer and Mr. Effeminate Emo."

"Give me a straight answer," he growled.

"Okay. Head STRAIGHT to Dark Depth's," said Axel before dissappeared into a dark portal.

"I'm going back to sleep," announced Roxas. "And let him hit us again, he interrupted a nice dream."

"Wasn't it worth waking up?" Kairi asked.

"To see Axel? Of course, I just don't like being punched on the head."

"And you think I do?" complained Sora.

"You're both whiners," Riku teased.

Roxas blew him a kiss before dissappearing.

"That was creepy and wrong," said Riku, with a shiver.

"So, are you going to tell us who you're looking for?" Kairi wondered.

"Not until we find him."

"But why not?"

"It's important - okay?"

Kairi pouted.

"These crystals are really pretty," Kairi said.

"Take a few, this area's full of them," offered Sora.

"How close are we?" Riku asked.

"Across the Great Maw is the Dark Depths."

"Wow, it's huge," observed Kairi when they reached the end of the Crystal Fissure.

"And here come the Heartless," Riku said dryly. Several Armored Knights approached and advanced on the trio.

"Stay here. You guys might need your energy shortly," said Sora. "Valor Form should finish them off quickly."

"Show off."

Sora tossed a grin over his shoulder as he charged the Heartless. He Drove a second before he was within reach of their blades. But the Form that emerged from the light wasn't red, it was black.

The figure clawed and slashed the Armored Knights into oblivion.

"It can't be," Riku gasped.

"Oh Sora," said Kairi, sadly.

With all of his enemies gone, the creature galloped on all fours towards Kairi and Riku.

Riku summoned Way to the Dawn and handed Kairi the flowery Keyblade. It noticed the weapons and slowed its pace.

"He looks like the Anti Soras I created in Neverland."

"I don't think he'll attack us."

"Why?"

"He didn't attack when he was a Shadow."

Yellow eyes gazed up at them. Riku shrugged, but made both Keyblades vanish.

"It's okay, Sora, we aren't afraid. Come to Kairi," she cooed, holding out her hand.

He rubbed along her legs like a cat.

Riku passed a hand through the darkness curling off the boy's body.

"The darkness isn't radiating from him. It's actually emptying out of him," observed Riku.

"He'll turn back when it empties?"

"I think so."

"He's sweet like this," Kairi said, petting his spikey hair. "But I like him better as his normal, hyper self."

"Me too."

He crept over to Riku and wrapped his arms around the older boy's waist, his face pressed against Riku's stomach.

"Sora."

A flash of light engulfed Sora, causing Riku to throw an arm over his eyes. Sora released his grip and sat down, blinking up at his friends.

"Um..." started Sora awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Welcome back," Riku said.

"I wasn't exactly gone."

"Meaning?"

"I was still in control of myself, I just couldn't act like I normally do." A slight frown entered his face. "Anti Form is the darkness' way out. When the darkness escapes I have to act in a way the Heartless in me understands."

"Heartless understand hugs?"

"It knows you can't attack or defend properly with it pressed against you like that. I wasn't sure it would allow me to touch either of you without attacking, but then, I've seen them do stranger things."

"You're okay, right?" asked Kairi.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that lately? I'm fine," he assured her. "But we've got to go if we want to be home in time for dinner."

"My house this time. Your mother's cooking is fine, but our chef's is better."

While they walked across the Great Maw, Sora rumaged through his pockets till he found a large yellow orb.

"What's that for?"

"It replenishes my Drive," Sora explained as he pressed the object into his chest. "Next itme we see a moogle I'll have to get another one."

"How often do you Drive into Anti Form?"

"Not very often. The darkness randomly takes over a Drive transformation, though it can't take over Final Form for some reason."

"It's too light," Riku said.

"What?"

"Final Form is your light, the darkness can't overcome it."

Sora frowned with thought, then nodded.

"Before we go any further I have to warn you -- Sephiroth isn't nice and has a REALLY long sword. Run if I tell you to."

Kairi and Riku exchanged glances.

Rounding the corner, they could see a man with knee-length silver hair practicing sword slashes. The sword was longer than he was tall.

"Sephiroth!" said Sora sharply.

The man ignored him.

"I just need to talk to you."

Still being ignored, Sora charged the man, Ultima Weapon drawn. A fight ensued.

"You're...just mad...because...a BOY...beat you," Sora said while alternating blocks and slashes.

Sora had to block a rapid succession of blows.

"And you didn't get the Keyblade."

He ran from the fire Sephiroth summoned.

"Don't feel bad though. I'm not the only one with a Keyblade..."

Sora batted away th dark orbs surrounding him.

"Your son has one too," said Sora, pointing at the silver haired boy.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Riku.

The huge sword fell from Sephiroth's hand.

A/N: Ooh, cliffies suck don't they? If anyone noticed similarities to my other fic 'Anti Sora -- Anti Form?' that was the point. I realize this chapter wasn't as humerous as the others, but I'll try to bring back the funny next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

New Beginnings

Vampyra142001

A/N: I know, I know - 'Bad author, no cookie' I had writer's block for a while there, but it's fixed now. I really am sorry for leaving that cliffies for so long, you guys must be ready to hurt me. All is well now, so enjoy. And can anyone tell me: Why in the hell does Sephiroth have two wings growing from his butt?

"Your son has one too," said Sora, pointing at the silver haired boy.

"What are you talking about?" Riku demanded.

The huge sword fell from Sephiroth's hand.

Sora grabbed Riku's wrist and pulled him over to the shocked warrior.

"The first time I met Sephiroth I saw the resemblance, but I wasn't certain until you showed us your wing last night," explained Sora.

"Wing?" asked Sephiroth.

Riku spread his feathery appendage. His and the man's were identical.

"You finally get to meet your father," said Kairi.

"I've never had one and I don't think I need one," Riku stated.

"Riku..." She gave him a pitying look.

Sephiroth kept still, both face and body.

"You two are ridiculous!" snapped Sora.

"This has to be hard for them."

"I...guess," he admitted. "Fine if you aren't going to talk, you can at least think."

Sora marched up to the silver haired man, dug Riku's feather out of his pocket, and jammed it into the man's hand. He then reached out and YANKED out one of Sephiroth's feathers, walked over to Riku and thrust it into the boy's hand.

"You two play nice," said Sora, quoting Riku's own line back at him.

Sora retreated, bringing Kairi with.

"Was that smart, leaving Riku with that guy?" Kairi wondered.

"Sephiroth can be a jerk, but I doubt he'll hurt his son."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've done some research."

Kairi sighed.

"Besides, Riku knows how to run away."

"Sora!"

"Yuffie, get down here, now!" shouted Cloud.

Said ninja was in the rafters of Merlin's house laughing at a piece of paper in her grip.

"This is all your fault, Tifa."

"I didn't hand it to her," Tifa argued.

"How was I supposed to know she wasn't allowed to see it?" asked Zack.

"YOU weren't supposed to see it either!" Cloud whined.

"Is this a bad time?" asked Sora.

"Yes, I'm going to murder Yuffie."

Yuffie swung down and bolted through the door, bumping Sora as she passed. He jumped out of Cloud's way, not wanting to be hit by the man's raised sword.

"What was that about?"

"It's in your hair," said Aerith.

"Huh?" Sora felt his head until he found the paper Yuffie had slipped into one of his spikes.

Kairi leaned over to see the photograph of Tifa, Aerith, and a strangely familiar blonde woman in cute dresses. The blonde looked uncomfortable with having her picture took.

"I didn't know Cloud had a sister," Sora said.

The three girls laughed.

"He doesn't."

"Then...that's Cloud?!"

"He's going to kill us all," said Zack.

"Speaking of killing. You gotta death-wish?" Axel asked from the doorway.

"Huh?" asked Sora.

"Plucking out a first-class SOLDIER's feathers, sounds like suicide to me."

"First-class SOLDIER...What's he talking about?" Zack wondered.

"I introduced Riku to his father and tried to make a point."

"You call yanking on Sephiroth's feathers 'making a point'? In any other situation you'd be dead," stated Axel.

"Hold it. The friend you've been looking for, the one that chose darkness, that helped the Heartless, is Sephiroth's son?" Tifa demanded.

"Yes," said Sora and Kairi.

"Tifa, it is past," Aerith said softly.

She walked over to a wall and punched it HARD, raining dust on everyone.

"Better?"

"I'm fine now," breathed Tifa.

"What did I say?" Axel asked.

"Be quiet,"snapped Sora.

"Grouchy much?"

"So, Sephiroth is here too? Is he approachable?" Zack asked.

"He would be, if he hadn't dissappeared," said Riku, shoving past Axel.

"And what did I do to deserve that?" Axel wondered.

"What you said."

"How did it go?" asked Sora.

"We fought, he nodded at me, and dissappeared."

"He was testing your strength?"

"I suppose...Why is that guy in a dress?" Riku asked, looking over Sora's shoulder.

Axel snatched the picture. "Cloud? That's hilarious!" He started laughing loudly.

"He and I were sneaking into a man's mansion to rescue Tifa," said Aerith. "Tifa insisted a photograph be taken."

"And you are?" Tifa asked Axel.

Yuffie's taunting could be heard in the distance.

"Leaving, before Cloud sees me," said Axel hurriedly. He tossed the photo back at Riku and vanished into a shocked Zack.

The enraged warrior stormed inside.

"Who has it?" Cloud demanded.

Everybody looked away, except one person, Riku.

"This is the guy Axel was worried about?" wondered Riku.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you need to give me that picture."

"No." He handed it to Tifa.

"I'll never get it now," Cloud growled.

"It's just a dress."

"And what if it were you?"

"At least I wouldn't have to wear a wig."

Silence followed Riku's commented, then laughter broke out.

"Hey, Cloud...Why aren't you getting mad at him like Tifa did?" asked Sora.

"Maybe it's because I don't care, or maybe it's because I realize he wouldn't be standing at your side if he had THAT darkness in him," Cloud said, eyes closed.

Sora nodded.

"I've always wondered how Sephiroth could fly without flapping," said a hyper ninja in the rafters.

"Does she always do that?" Kairi wondered.

"Only when she feels like being really annoying. You get used to it," answered Tifa.

"And do you think this boy could do it when his wing is proportionately half the size of Sephiroth's?" Yuffie continued.

"Did you hurt yourself with such a long word?" teased Riku.

"No, but I'll hurt you." She demonstrated a few punches, then clung to a beam when she almost fell.

"Sora, you have some strange friends."

"What does that say about you?" Sora taunted.

"Hey!" Riku lunged at the younger boy.

"Bye guys!" called Sora as he ran out the door, the silver haired boy right behind him.

"It was nice to see you all again," Kairi said, then followed them out the door.

Sora crashed into Leon, sending them both to the ground. A second later and he was off again yelling an apology to the man.

"And my head was just starting to feel better," muttered Leon.

"It's still fairly early, so we could visit another world before we go home," Sora suggested. "We could sail the high seas with Jack Sparrow."

"The computer says someone left us a message," said Kairi.

Sora punched some buttons and King Mickey's face filled a screen.

"Hiya Riku, Sora, Kairi. While patrolling the worlds I was asked to pass a message onto Sora. Sebastian wanted me to tell you he has a new musical for you to participate in, if you wanted," Mickey said. "I hope to see you all soon."

The screen went black and Sora's face was red.

"Musical? You sing and dance now?" asked Riku, a large grin creeping onto his features.

"Yes, and I do well," Sora defended.

"That is so sweet!" cooed Kairi.

"I knew how you'd both react." His blush deepened.

"So, what do you wear? Tights or a tu-tu?" Riku teased.

"No. I don't wear anything...AT ALL," said Sora, switching to the offensive.

Riku blushed, then covered his face with his hands and darted into the lavatory part of the ship. Kairi peered around the half-open door.

"Is he back there dying of laughter?"

"Of a nosebleed," she corrected. (A/N: For those of you who aren't into Anime/Manga, a 'random' nosebleed is caused by the person's perverted thoughts)

Sora grinned widely.

"He'll see when we get to Atlantica."

"Sora, I think it's serious."

"It's his own fault."

"Sora..."

"Tell him to stick tissue up his nose."

The brunette jumped into the captain's seat and took the controls.

Riku strode back to his seat, tissue-free, and flopped down, Kairi hovering nearby.

"That wasn't funny," stated the silver-haired boy.

"Yes it was, cause it's true," Sora said.

Riku frowned.

"Atlantica, Riku," stated Kairi.

"To make it up to to you, I'll teach you a trick even I can't do."

"If you can't do it, how can you expect to teach me?" Riku asked.

"I know how it works, I simply lack the ability."

"What are you going to TRY to teach me?"

"How to fly."

Riku seemed to think about it for a minute, then nodded.

"Stand like this and extend your wing." Sora demonstrated a pose.

"Okay, now concentrate and lift your arms," couched Sora.

Riku closed his eyes, slowly lifting his arms.

"I don't think it's working," Riku muttered.

"Open your eyes," breathed Kairi.

He saw the gap below his toes an instant before he fell.

"Lost your concentration, huh?" Sora smirked.

"I wasn't touching the ground!" gasped Riku, picking himself off the floor.

"We saw. I guess that answers Yuffie's question."

"Thank you, Sora."

"Yeah, well, you won't be touching the ground much here," Sora said, grinning.

"We're over the water -- Where's the ship going to land?" asked Kairi.

He was already gone, leaving his friends still stunned.

"Sora, I'm not wearing any clothes!" hissed Riku.

"So? Kairi's only got a couple shells," Sora said.

"But..."

"It's not as though anything shows, it's like walking around shirtless."

Kairi giggled.

"What?" demanded Riku.

"Two things. One: your tatoo is back. Two: you've got a WHALE-butt," she said.

From the waist down Riku was Killer Whale.

"Move your tail or you're gonna sink," warned Sora.

Sora spent a while helping them learn the finer points of swimming.

As they swam a female voice could be heard singing to soft music.

"She's in her grotto," Sora muttered.

He led them to a strange rock formation and drug a boulder to the side, reveiling a short tunnel. He stopped them just short of leaving the shadows of the tunnel. They watched the mermaid flow around the chamber, while a yellow and blue fish hovered in the center.

Sora flicked his tail once, bringing him into the light.

"Wandering free, wish I could be... part of that world," he sang.

She glanced at him as she held the final notes.

"Hello Sora. I guess you got Sebastian's message?" greeted the red-headed mermaid.

"Yeah, but I came mostly because I have a friend who wants to meet you."

"Ariel!" wailed the fish as he darted into her hair.

"What's wrong Flounder?" she asked.

"I accidentally startled him," admitted Kairi..

Riku and Kairi swam forward.

"These are my friends: Kairi and Riku," Sora said, indicating each.

"Oh, are they going to be in the musical too?" asked Ariel.

"Maybe, if they practice."

"I'm not," stated Riku.

"He just learned how to swim here and he doesn't want to be shown up by me," whispered Sora to Ariel.

"We could practice 'Swim this Way' to get them used to it," Ariel suggested.

"I'll go get Sebastian."

"I'm not singing OR dancing," said Riku flatly. He was ignored.

"Meet you in the courtyard," Sora called, before exiting the grotto.

"What's it like living in the ocean?" asked Kairi as the four of them swam.

"Dat's de way," Sebastian encouraged Kairi AND Riku.

"Can we take a break? We're not used to swimming like this," gasped Kairi.

"I suppose, but not too long."

"His accent's thicker than Wakka's," Riku observed, he and Kairi swimming over to where Ariel, Flounder, and Sora were relaxing.

"Look," whispered Kairi.

Sora lay sprawled on his back, a thin stream of bubbles trailing from his open mouth, his breath even and deep.

"How long has he been asleep?" Riku asked.

"Only a couple minutes," said Ariel.

"Yeah, he was draped over that rock, watching and then he just kinda slid off. I got worried till Ariel shushed me," Flounder added.

"Can you explain this to crabby there? We need to head home," asked Riku.

"It's no problem. And it was nice to meet both of you," Ariel beamed.

Kairi and Riku each grabbed one of the sleeping boy's arms and started back to the gummi ship.

"Watch out for that asteroid!" yelped Sora.

"I've got it under control," Riku said calmly.

"I agree with Sora: You drive like a maniac!" whined Kairi.

"I haven't hit anything yet, have I?"

"Barely."

"You should've woken me up BEFORE he started driving," Sora said.

"I thought he was going to turn on the Auto-pilot."

"This is Riku we're talking about."

"Look! We're home!"

"Finally."

"You two exaggerate," stated Riku.

They shared a look, then pounced on the 'captain', pinning him to the floor.

"Get off!" Riku hissed.

"Only if you promise to never drive like that again," said Kairi.

"And if I won't?"

She pinched his side, making him jerk.

"Fine, I won't drive like that...I'll drive worse!" He did a quick push-up, sending the two tumbling to the ground, then hurriedly exited the ship.

"Get back here!" Kairi yelled.

Sora and Kairi raced after their friend.

"Mom, Dad... I'm home!" called Kairi. The trio was currently taking their shoes off in the front doorway.

"Your father is currently at a meeting," her adopted mother said, walking out of the study. " Are the boys staying for dinner?"

"Yes."

"I will inform the chef. Please, keep your activities to a dull roar - I have a rather large stack of paperwork to complete."

"Essays?"

"Yes" With that she returned to the study and shut the door.

"I'm just glad she's not my teacher," said Sora.

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"My grammar didn't improve while hanging out with Donald and Goofy."

They laughed as they climbed the stairs to Kairi's room.

"When did you paint your walls white?" inquired Riku.

"Right after you guys last visited, but I've been planning to do it for a while," Kairi said.

"Namine's suggestion?"

"No, but she likes it and said that it helped mellow the darker accents in my room."

"I bet it took several coats to completely cover the light purple."

"I wouldn't know - Dad hired painters and I had to stay out of their way."

"They should've put a thin colored border at the top of your walls"

"Does being in the dark so long turn people into interior decorators?" teased Sora.

"No, but apparently being in a pod for a year stunts your growth," Riku returned.

Sora pouted.

"What should we do until dinner?" wondered Kairi.

"How about Truth-or-Dare?" Sora offered off-handedly.

"Just the three of us? That's no fun," said Riku.

"Five," Namine corrected.

"Unless, of course, you are afraid of playing ..." drawled Roxas.

"Be prepared to embarrass yourselves," Riku said.

A/N: Aw, Riku's pride won't let Sora's Nobody best him again. I've got several options as to where to go with this story. If I continue this further the implications of yaoi will fade into the real deal, though, nothing worse than a kiss. Then again, if I leave 'New Beginnings' here I will write a sequel that will pick up exactly where this leaves off, but it will eventually become M-rated. We'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, thank you for your reviews, I apprectiate every single one of them.

Killer whales are not whales, the name comes from a mistranslation of 'whale killer', and Orcas are more closely related to dolphins. I agree with most that shark would suit Riku, but for my purposes it made more sense, to me, to do it this way.

1. I wanted his tail to be similar to Sora's

2. Anatomically a shark tail attached to a human wouldn't work. Mammal spines move up and down, while fish spines move side to side.

3. I felt the nature and appearance of the Killer Whale fix Riku better than any other aquatic mammal.

Kairi's tail was chosen as a seal's for similar reasons.


	6. Chapter 6

New Beginnings

By Vampyra142001

A/N: Yes this is the final chapter of New Beginnings, but there will be a sequel. Please read the note at the bottom for more info.

Disclaimer: I just realized I forgot to put one of these on the previous chapter ... oops. Anyway, I don't own any of Square-Enix and/or Disney characters. If I had anything to do with them KH2: Final Mix+ would've been released in America at the same as Japan's release of it.

--------------------------------------

"I'll start!" said Kairi excitedly. The others nodded as they found comfortable seating on her pink plush carpet.

"Roxas, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied without hesitation.

"The chef is baking cookies for dessert. Get me one," ordered the red head with an evil grin. He left quickly, apprehension clear on his face.

"I wish Mom didn't think letting you two sleep over 'isn't proper'. She lets Selphie and girls from school sleep over," Kairi sighed.

"I guess she is a bit old fashioned, but I understand her not wanting guys sleeping over," said Naminé.

"Still..." Roxas slammed the door behind him and leaned against it. He had a chocolate chip cookie in one hand and a spatula-shaped welt on the other.

"You chef needs new glasses - He called me Sora again," Roxas grumbled, tossing the cookie to Kairi, which she happily bit into.

"Your turn," urged Sora.

"Naminé, truth or dare?" Roxas asked, plopping down next to her.

"Truth," she said shrugging.

"Why do your drawings vary so much?"

"It's mostly caused by whether I'm using crayons or colored pencils." A mischievous grin crept onto her face.

"Truth or dare, Ri-ku?" inquired Naminé.

"Dare, of course," he said, smirking back at her. Her grin grew as Kairi nodded to her. The girl went over to one of Kairi's dressers and dug to the bottom. She quickly handed Riku something made of black cloth, then pointed to the door.

"You can't be serious," whined Riku, then sighed. "How long?"

"Twenty-four hours," she stated. Riku left mumbling under his breath, only to return a few minutes later blushing. Naminé and Kairi were laughing hard enough to bring tears to their eyes.

"I don't get it. I thought you gave him his blindfold back," said Sora. The two girls only laughed harder. Roxas frowned, apparently thinking. He grabbed Sora and whispered something into his ear.

"A what?!" demanded Sora. Roxas repeated himself, still whispering. A second later and Riku was the only one not laughing.

"If you guys are through, it's MY turn," the silver haired boy said loudly. The four quieted immediately.

"Roxas, truth or dare?"

"Dare," said Roxas.

"I want a cookie too." The spikey haired blond paled, but left to complete the task.

"That was mean Riku," Kairi scolded.

"He didn't have to tell Sora," defended Riku. He squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"And neither is a cookie."

"It is when the chef has a knife in his hands," Roxas growled as he entered the room. A thin welt crossed the back of his hand.

"Got you with the back of the knife didn't - mnf!" Riku was cut off by the cookie being jammed into his mouth. The two shot each other daggers as Roxas sat down.

"Sora, truth or dare?" asked Roxas.

"Dare," Sora said.

"I dare you." Sora just blinked at him.

"You know what I mean."

"No!" Sora shook his head and waved his hands in front of himself, blushing vividly all the while.

"You can't back out."

"He's right," agreed Naminé.

"You don't know what he's asking. And I can't do that right now!" Sora argued.

"You can too. Now is perfect," stated Roxas. Sora dropped his head, hiding his crimson face. His hands curled into fists.

"Riku ... This isn't part of the game, but you have to answer truthfully," Sora said softly.

"Alright," said Riku.

"Do you want to share a paopu with me?"

"Of course! It's taken you three days and prodding from Roxas to ask me the obvious?"

"I - You ... Yes."

"When you asked for proof he thought you meant something other than simply asking the question," Roxas explained.

"That's so SWEET!" squealed Kairi. "I've got to call Selphie." The three boys groaned.

"Dinner!" a male voice yelled up to them. The Nobodies disappeared and the remaining trio went downstairs to dine with the Mayor and his wife. Everyone was seated in the huge dinning at one end of the long banquet table.

"So, how was work Dad?" asked Kairi.

"Hectic as usual. I still haven't gotten used to communicating with some of the other worlds' leaders. I'm not sure which throws me more - talking to a skeleton or a lion. King Triton, now he's a down-to-earth man, so to speak. Anyway, enough of that. What's new with you, sweetie? I heard from Sora's mother that you visited a couple other worlds today," the Mayor said.

"Nothing much. We met Riku's dad. Oh, and my two best friends just pretty much admitted they're gay," said Kairi easily. Sora choked on a bite of salad, while Riku smacked his forehead.

"How exactly do you 'pretty much' admit something like that?"

"They've been flirting ALL day and right before you called us down to eat they said they wanted to share a paopu fruit together."

"Well, that is ... interesting," her father said, clearly uncomfortable.

"So, Riku, did you invite your father to the next Parent Teacher Conference?" inquired Kairi's mother. Sora started laughing, muffling the noise with his napkin.

"No. Somehow I got the impression that he's not really the parenting type," Riku said, amusement clear in his voice.

"And why is that?"

"He didn't know I existed until today, he's not fully human, and truthfully, I don't think he's all there." Riku tapped the side of his head to emphasize his point.

"Not fully human?" asked the Mayor.

"Sora knows more about it than I do."

"Perhaps we should move on to a more appropriate topic," Kairi's mother interjected.

"We actually visited four other worlds today, including Jack Skellington and Simba's worlds," said Sora.

--------------

After dinner Kairi's mother asked if Riku and Sora were spending the night.

"No, we were going to stay at Sora's again. Thanks anyway Mom," Kairi answered. The trio headed outside.

"I'm surprised your mother asked that," said Riku. Kairi giggled.

"Why do I get the feeling that in her mother's mind we're now in the 'girl category'?" Sora whined.

"You're probably right," agreed Kairi, stilling laughing.

"You're definitely effeminate enough to be in that category," Riku teased.

"What?!" yelled Sora indignantly. Kingdom Key appeared in his hand a he charged Riku. The silver haired boy drew Way to the Dawn, but did not attempt to fight Sora. Instead he took off running. He struck a tree as he passed beside it, the brunet on his heels. A coconut landed on Sora's head, sending him sprawling into the sand, unconscious. Riku raced to his friend's side as soon as he noticed that the boy wasn't moving.

"Come on Sora, don't do this," Riku pleaded, shaking him lightly.

"What happened?" demanded Kairi when she caught up to them.

"He was just supposed to trip over it, like always, but it hit him."

"We're not too far from the house. You carry him, I'll run ahead and tell his mom." She ran away before he could even agree. Riku scooped the younger boy into his arms.

"Wake up Sora. You have to at least try to walk - I did when you carried me," Riku urged. "Please, wake up." He stopped walking and started digging around in his pockets, Sora held to his chest by one arm.

"Let this work," whispered Riku. He tossed something into the air. "C'mon, Sora." Getting no response he picked the boy up again and continued towards the house.

Sora's mother stood in the doorway, Kairi hovering behind her when Riku walked up. She ushered him inside and indicted him to set her son on the couch. He quickly did so and got out of the way as she examined Sora.

"I'm pretty sure he'll be fine, there isn't even a bump," she breathed. "You gave him a potion?"

"An elixir."

"Good, good. He'll probably wake up soon, so if you'll stay here Kairi and I will go get some Sea-Salt ice-cream from the store for us to share." Kairi opened her mouth then closed it, like she was going to say something and decided against it. Instead, she just nodded.

"We'll be fine," assured Riku as he flopped onto the floor in front of the couch. Sora's mother and Kairi left.

"Someone got hurt and it's my fault AGAIN." He shook his head. "Why do I always end up hurting people?!"

"It always works out in the end," said a low voice.

"You're awake!"

"Did anybody get the number on that Gummi Ship?"

"I am SO sorr--" Sora cut him off by placing a hand over his mouth.

"We live on an island, Riku. Everyone's been hit by a coconut or two."

"But it's my fault, you could - Hn?" This time Sora leaned forward and silenced him with a chaste kiss, shocking him thoroughly.

"It's okay," Sora soothed. Riku leaned in for another kiss, only to be blinded by a bright flash. They heard female laughter. Standing in the kitchen doorway, Sora's mother held a camera and Kairi fanned a Polaroid to help it develop.

"Just wait till Selphie sees this!" Kairi beamed, grinning. Sora and Riku were up in an instant, chasing down the picture.

-------------------------------------

A/N: Finished. I will start the M-rated sequel soon, but don't expect me to be posting it for a while - I'm way behind on another story of mine and the fanart that go with this one. In, the sequel all questions will answered, including what Roxas told Kairi and what that black cloth was that Naminé gave Riku (as if it wasn't obvious). To those of you that don't read M-rated stories, when I get the sequel up I can send/tell you an edited version so that you aren't left out. Until then, everyone can read my other KH fanfics; they're short, but more comical.

Sorry this took so long to post. Recently, I was introduced to the World of Warcraft game and have been spending quite a bit of time on that. I'm usually on there at least three nights a week, so if any of you play WoW you can find my Night Elf Druid, Ginhane, in the Nordrassil Realm and say hi or yell at me to work on my posts.

Thank you all for your reviews and I hope you all will continue enjoying my work.


End file.
